She's Pretty Much Dead Already
by MoonlightMistress83
Summary: Sarah thought she could finally get her life back together after being discharged from the military a year ago. She was wrong. At least she knows how to survive during this "end of the world" bullshit. Her skills, both combat and medical, can not only save her life, but the lives of this small group she now calls family.
1. 1 - This End of the World Bullshit

**Hi Everyone! So this is the continuation of my short stories "The Walking Dead Vignettes".**

**A few things have changed from my original concept. My original character will now be joining the group of survivors from the very beginning. This seemed necessary if there is to be any kind of relationship between my original character and Daryl, as it seems more realistic that Daryl would take much more time to develop any kind of relationship with anyone…let alone a romantic one with a woman.**

**Caroline will now be known as Sarah.**

**The timeline will be played with a bit. Instead of things happening very quickly over weeks, they will take place over a period of months so that each character can develop more thoroughly.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

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_**I DO NOT OWN THE WALKING DEAD**_

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**She's Pretty Much Dead Already**

_Written By: MoonlightMistress83 (a.k.a. MLM)_

**Chapter 1 - This "End of the World" Bullshit**

The traffic was at a complete stand still and had been for hours and as twilight approached, the weary travelers were getting more agitated by the second.

Sarah sat in her jeep scanning the local radio stations for any new information on the situation and, of course, there was none. Just the same broadcast over and over telling everyone to evacuate to a refugee camp in Atlanta. Sarah sighed and rested her forehead on the steering wheel recounting the conversation she had with her friend in the National Guard currently caught up in the evacuation operation.

"_Sarah, I'm telling you, those broadcasts are bogus. There is no refugee camp in Atlanta. Never was, never will be." His voice crackled on the other end of her cell phone making him seem much farther away then only 20 miles. _

Her friend had no other useful information to give, as it was on a need to know basis and, obviously, he wasn't in that particular circle. That conversation transpired 6 hours ago and as soon as it ended, she began packing and hit the road. She planned to drive around Atlanta via I-285 and continue on from there. Where? Most likely, back to southern Ohio to check on her family.

Of course, her plan was foiled when there were a million other panic stricken people trying to get into the city from all over the great state of Georgia. Traffic was heavy but steady at first at about 40 MPH, but then gradually slowed until it was at a complete stand still just 5 miles outside the city. No car, or other vehicle, had moved an inch in 4 hours. She tried calling her friend for more information several times, but couldn't get through. Calling her family had also proved futile, as it seemed all cell phone signal in the immediate area was down.

Sarah lifted her head from the steering wheel and took a cursory look around. Hundreds (possibly thousands) of vehicles as far as the eye could see. As she watched the setting sun, she realized she should probably cut the engine on her jeep to conserve fuel. After spending 6 years in the dessert, she was hesitant to part with the chilling AC blasting from the jeeps vents, but now that the sun was setting she could finally stomach the idea.

She rolled down the windows to keep the cab from becoming an oven and killed the engine. Now that her windows were down and the radio was off, she could hear scattered conversations all around her. They all blended together, but she began to focus on one in particular.

Up two car lengths ahead she focused on a small group of men, women and children gathered around an old station wagon. The children, a boy and a girl who appeared to be around the same age, were playing a quite game of checkers on the tailgate of the wagon while the adults, two men and two women, stood nearby discussing their current predicament.

"Mom, I'm hungry" the boy stated from the tailgate of the station wagon.

"I know, Carl. We all are" one of the woman answered. She was tall and thin with long, wavy brown hair and appeared to be in her mid-30s.

"You know, why don't I get him something to eat…" the other woman with very short, cropped hair began before disappearing around the station wagon.

Sarah observed one of the men, she guessed the cropped woman's husband, give her an angry look before blocking her path to the back seat of the car. They exchanged some hushed words that Sarah couldn't overhear, but could easily guess. The skinny woman had mostly likely heard the hushed exchange, if her facial expression was any indication. She then folded her arms and turned to the other man, who had just sat down in a jeep (very similar to Sarah's) across from the station wagon and began scanning the stations the way Sarah had earlier.

"Anything new?" the skinny woman asked the very muscular, dark haired man sitting in the jeep.

"Just the same damn broadcast over and over" muscles answered in a thick Georgian drawl.

Sarah took a deep breath and mentally began to prepare herself. Interacting with most people, especially strangers, took at least that much effort before she could approach them. Being an introvert by nature, she practically had to force herself to socialize in the last year since being discharged from the army. She felt some tug in her chest telling her that she needed to share her inside information with these strangers. They had children, after all.

Her decision made and her courage gathered, she exited the jeep and began weaving her way through the cars towards the small group.

* * *

Daryl had been silently watching the woman in the jeep behind his pickup truck in his rear view mirror for the last hour. Merle, his older brother, sat in the passenger seat of his truck high as a kite blabbing words that Daryl assumed were supposed to mean something, but only sounded like gibberish in the manner they were strung together. Daryl had no doubt they made perfect sense to Merle, so he would just nod his head and utter the occasional "yeah" when he thought Merle's tone called for it. Keeping Merle calm was his top priority in a situation like this. As long as he was high and thought someone was actually listening to his insane dialog, Merle was fine.

The cute girl in the rear view mirror became Daryl's distraction from the sound of Merle's slurred one sided conversation. He watched as she leaned towards the dash of the jeep with her brow pinched and assumed she was scanning the radio stations for any new information. Daryl had given that effort up hours before and instead opted to listen to the jumble of voices outside and scoff at their theories about what exactly was going on. He also watched as she tried to make a call or two from her cell phone and smirked when he saw her throw the thing in the passenger seat and then clap both hands on the steering wheel of her jeep before lowering her forehead on the wheel with a sigh. A few minutes he saw her roll down the windows and cut the engine of the jeep before getting out and walking towards a small group of people one car length up from his truck.

"Well, well…look at that fine piece of ass" Merle slurred from the passenger seat. He leaned over Daryl to stick his head out the open driver's side window before bellowing "Shake it, sugar!" at the unsuspecting woman as she weaved through the throng of cars.

"_Now he decides to make some fucking sense"_ Daryl thought before shoving Merle back to his original position on the opposite side of the truck.

Daryl stared straight ahead, but took a quick glance out of the corner of his eye just in time to see the girl turn towards the direction of his truck.

* * *

Upon hearing the ridiculous cat call, Sarah turned towards the direction she thought it had come from. Her eyes landed on the light blue pickup truck that was parked right in front of her jeep. The man in the driver's seat was staring straight ahead with a scowl on his face, but the passenger was looking right at her. When she caught his leering gaze, he raised is left hand and shook his fingers at her while winking.

Oh yes, the military had taught her many useful skills, one being how to handle assholes like this.

She walked back to the truck with her arms crossed and stood a foot away from the driver's side window which held the scowling driver. When she ducked her head to get a better look at the passenger, he tried to lean across the driver to do the same, but the driver planted the palm of his hand on the passenger's chest effectively holding him in place. The passenger chuckled at this, but made no effort to move the driver's hand.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I heard you back there. Can you please repeat that?" Sarah asked the passenger with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Fuck if I remember" the passenger answered with a grin, "but you're here now and that's all that matters."

Sarah rolled her eyes before he continued. "The name's Merle Dixon and this prick here is my little brother Daryl". Merle gestured to Daryl with is his chin before knocking Daryl's palm away and leaning closer to her though the window. Daryl signed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"We're going to ride out this end of the world bullshit up in the woods. You're welcome to join us. We're a bit short of room here in the truck, but I'm sure we could squeeze you here in the middle. And, if you don't have a tent you're more than welcome to share mine."

"Shut up, Merle" Daryl interrupted without looking at him or Sarah.

"Ah, come on little brother. We can share!" Merle said with a laugh. "By the way, what's your name sugar?"

Ignoring Merle's question, Sarah replied "That's sounds charming and all, but unfortunately for you, I'd rather fuck one of those walking rotting corpses then touch your obviously STD riddled dick with a ten foot pole."

Shocked by her retort, Daryl turned his head to look at her in time to see her snicker and smirk at him before turning to walk away. As she retreated back into the throng of cars she raised her right hand back at them and said "Good luck, fellas" before reaching the small group of people near the station wagon.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Merle yelled at her retreating form, knowing she would have to eventually come back to her jeep.

She turned one last time and caught Daryl's gaze across the traffic before calling back, "Who says I'm running?"

* * *

The small group of people she was walking towards was already staring at her by the time she reached them at the station wagon. The man with dark hair and muscles tilted his head down and glanced up at her from under his brow with a smirk on his chiseled features.

"I was about to wander over there to see what all the fuss was about" the man said nodding his head towards the blue pickup truck Sarah had just retreated from. Again, his thick Georgian drawl took her by surprise and she smiled widely at him. "Looks like you took care of it yourself though."

"Just a doped up redneck looking to start some trouble. I'm Sarah" she replied holding her hand out to muscles. He took it and gave it a hardy shake.

"Shane. This here is Lori and her son Carl."

The skinny woman with the long, dark, wavy hair approached them with her arms around her son's shoulders giving Sarah a wary look.

"And over there is Carol, her husband Ed, and their daughter Sophia" Shane said while gesturing over to the small family of three.

"It's nice to meet you all" Sarah said while holding up her right hand and giving them all a small wave.

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**Ok, so that's Chapter 1. I really hoped you enjoyed it. **

**I will try to update every week. Let me know what you think!**

_**~MLM**_


	2. 2 - Napalm in the Streets

**Hello again. **

**First off I have to say that I'm completely overwhelmed by how many of you have Favorited and/or Followed my story after only reading the first chapter! Thank you all and I hope that I can hold your attention enough that you want to keep reading!**

**Also, thanks to those that reviewed: _Leyshla Gisel, leg64 and punkrockpancake_**

**So, how many of you watched last nights episode!? Wow, it was so intense and heart wrenching! I didn't get any sleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about it. **

**Anyway, here's chapter 2. I hope you like it.**

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**Chapter 2 - Napalm in the Streets**

By the time Sarah had accomplished introducing herself to the small group before her, night had completely fallen upon the great state of Georgia and upon all the weary, scared travelers trying desperately to enter Atlanta. Mercifully, the temperature had fallen a few degrees, but the humidity hung thick in the night air as more and more people exited their cars to try to gather more information on the current situation.

"I'm going to go ahead and see if I can get more information out of these assholes blocking the interstate" Shane declared to their small group.

"It won't do any good" Sarah interjected while placing her hands on her hips.

"What? Why?" Lori asked, pinching her brow in confusion and frustration.

"Because, I know" Sarah started. She knew it was time to share her inside information with these strangers. She took a deep breath and scanned the immediate area and was surprised to see a few other people beginning to gather around their small group with curious looks; one being a man of around 65 years of age wearing a canvas colored bucket hat occupied by two blond women who appeared to be sisters.

"Well, go on sweetheart. We don't got all day."

Sarah rolled her eyes, looking to her immediate right and spotted the two rednecks she had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting an hour before. The one who introduced himself as Merle was standing with his arms crossed in front of the one who he introduced as Daryl with his left brow raised in question.

With sigh she began, "Look, I have a friend in the National Guard. He called me not 8 hours ago and told me that there is no refugee camp in Atlanta."

"That's impossible!" Lori cried while pulling her son closer. The boy, Carl, looked up at this mother with such fear in his eyes that Sarah felt sick.

"Look, I don't know who your friend is, but…" Shane started.

"Ok, I get it" Sarah interrupted, putting both palms up. "It's a hard pill to swallow, especially since everything you've been told by the media has said to come to Atlanta, but I'm telling you there's nothing there. We're all better off just turning around and heading anywhere else."

"And what makes you the authority on this, Missy?" Merle asked while stepping closer to her. Daryl grabbed his bicep in an attempt to halt Merle's advancement, but the redneck just shook it off and continued. "Why should any of us trust a damn word you say?"

"You don't have to believe me and you sure as hell don't have to trust me. I'm just sharing what I know. Whatever any of you decides to do is up to you." Sarah scanned the crowd once again to see that even more people had gathered around to eaves drop on their exchange, including more children. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to gather her thoughts, before continuing.

"I'm ex-military. I was discharged over a year ago, but I still have some very close friends in the military and the National Guard. A friend of mine told me that there will never be any kind of refugee camp or assistance at all in Atlanta and I believe him. The only reason I'm stuck on this interstate with the rest of you is because I was planning to take this route to go around the city and head towards Ohio. I had no idea that the interstate would be blocked."

"I'm ex-military myself" the older man in the bucket hat spoke up with a gentle smile on his face. He held out his hand and introduced himself. "I'm Dale, Dale Horvath. This is Andrea and her sister Amy" he said while gesturing to the two blonds behind him. They both smiled and waved.

"Sarah" she returned with a smile.

"Sarah, what?" Merle asked.

Sarah started when she realized that Merle had moved directly beside her and was looking her up and down with a lecherous grin on his face.

"Litchfield" she answered frowning at him. "Can you please not look at me like you're undressing me with your eyes?"

Merle chuckled, but made no attempt to hide his admiration of her. Sarah chanced a glance at Daryl who was standing slightly apart from the group with his arms crossed and the same scowl on his face from earlier. She briefly wondered if he had any other facial expressions before Shane broke her thoughts.

"Whether if what you say is true or not, I'm still going to check the situation out." Shane had told Sarah earlier that he was a Sherriff's Deputy during their introductions and she recognized the authority in his voice as he strode away.

"I'll come with you" Lori said, stopping Shane's departure.

"Can I go too, Mom?" Carl asked with a mixture of fear and hope in his eyes.

"No…no way" she answered before kissing his head and following Shane through the traffic jam.

Sarah shook her head while watching their retreating forms, wondering why Lori would leave her young son alone with people she barely knew during what seemed to be the end of the world.

* * *

Daryl stood at the edge of the small crowd and observed the exchange with interest. More people began to gather around as Sarah spoke and he was silently impressed with her demeanor and the way she seemed to hold the attention of everyone around her. While he wasn't as obvious as Merle when it came to checking out women, her appearance didn't go unnoticed to him.

Her hair was light brown and secured in a long French braid that hung to just below her elbows and from the way some strands were coming loose, he guess it was also naturally wavy. She wore a light green plaid button down with a white tank top underneath along with a pair of dark fitted jeans and a pair of dark brown, flat soled boots that covered her jeans up to her mid-calf. She was slender, but curvy in all the right places and Daryl cursed under his breath when his brain clicked and registered that she was, indeed, quite attractive. She had a heart shaped face, soft looking blue-greenish colored eyes and full lips that revealed a bright smile.

When she reviled that she was ex-military, Daryl was taken aback, as she seemed much too feminine. But, he had no reason not to believe her claims, especially when she said that they should all turn around and forget about Atlanta. That seemed to be sound advice. At that moment, he was glad he and Merle had decided to stay in the woods until this shit, whatever it was, blew over. They had their tents, guns and his crossbow and the place they planned to camp out had plenty of space and fresh water.

As he was mulling something over in his mind he was startled by a large boom that sound like a bomb had gone off. Overhead, fighter jets were slicing through the sky faster than the speed of sound and he noticed they were flying towards the direction of the city. He diverted his attention to Sarah as she grabbed the boy that belonged to the tall woman, who seemed to be trying to run after his mother, and shoved him towards the woman with cropped grey hair before running from the traffic jam and down a ridge that over looked the city. The man who introduced himself as Dale and the two blonds were quick to follow her along with Merle. Daryl cursed and ran after them, pushing past the overweight man standing by the station wagon.

When he reached Merle on the ridge, he found him standing beside Sarah as they both watched the fighter jets head towards the city. Further across from them on the right he spotted the tall woman and the man she was traveling with. She was crying and he watched as the man wrapped his arms around her, obviously trying to quell her fears. A few seconds later the night sky was aglow with explosions erupting on the city streets below. The ground shook with the sheer force of the multiple explosions and Daryl watched as Sarah stumbled forward, waving her arms trying to keep her balance. Merle quickly extended his left arm and wrapped it around her waist, steadying her, his hand lingering on her hip before she stepped out of his arms. She tilted her head towards him in a 'thank you' gesture before turning around and looking Daryl directly in the eyes.

He held his breath as he realized that he didn't see fear in her eyes, but understanding. She then turned to Dale standing on her opposite side and yelled over the defining noise, "They're dropping napalm in the streets!"

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As the travelers made their way up from the ridge back to the interstate, Sarah was surprised to see how many other people had gathered around the space they previously occupied. It seemed that the inside information she had shared combined with what they just saw in the streets of Atlanta was enough convincing they needed to get the hell out of this traffic jam.

A Hispanic man along with his wife and children approached Sarah from the crowd. He introduced himself as Morales and his wife as Eliza.

"I know you said you were planning on heading towards Ohio, but I don't see how you are going to get through all this" he said while gesturing with his hands towards the massive traffic jam.

"I suppose you're right" Sarah answered while whipping the back of her hand across her forehead in frustration. "All I know is that we have to get out of here right now. If they are dropping napalm in the streets of Atlanta, then it's only a matter of time before they double back and do the same here."

One of Morales' children, a girl around 10 years old, began to cry and Sarah gave him a look of apology before Eliza wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Like I told you before" Merle started, "Daryl and I are going to wait this shit out in the woods nearby. We have a pretty sweet spot all picked out and there's plenty of room."

Daryl muttered, "Fuck, Merle" in aggravation before turning and heading back towards his truck. It was obvious to Sarah and everyone else that Daryl wasn't particularly fond of the idea of sharing their plans. Sarah questioned Merle's motives for inviting her, but she had an ace up her sleeve.

"Fine, I'll come along. But, only if you extend that invitation to everyone else…whoever wants to come is welcome." She turned in a slow circle looking at each person gathered around them.

Merle sighed and turned towards the direction of Daryl's pickup truck giving Daryl a shrug and lopsided grin before turning back to Sarah. "Deal" he said.

With that Sarah turned to the crowd and said "Whoever wants to follow the Dixon brothers and I are welcome. Otherwise, I wish you all the best of luck."

Shane approached her from where he and Lori had been watching from the outer ring of the crowd and said "Count us in." Lori gave him a dirty look, but then just shook her head in agreement.

* * *

As Daryl swung his truck around on the shoulder of the interstate and headed towards the familiar camp site he mentally cursed Merle again. It was an understatement that he didn't get along with most people and now he was going to be sharing a camp with dozens of them, all strangers with the exception of Merle.

He scowled and growled under his breath as another traitorous thought crept up from his subconscious; Merle had already staked his claim on Sarah. He didn't say it out loud, but Daryl knew Merle well enough to know when he had his eye on a woman.

He glanced over at Merle who was cleaning under his finger nails with a buck knife with that stupid smirk on his face. He then looked at the road ahead and, spotting a pot hole, drove right into it making the cab of the truck bounce violently. Merle hissed as the buck knife sliced into the pad of his right thumb and a drop of blood welled up from the wound.

"Fuck, Darlina! Watch where the hell you're going!"

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**Please let me know what you think!**

_**~MLM**_


	3. 3 - Daryl's First Walker

**Hi Again. Sorry it's been over a week since the last update, but I've been so freakin' busy with work...traveling and whatnot. **

**Ok, so how fucking adorable was the scene with Daryl and "little ass kicker" in last Sunday's episode? I swear, I almost died from the utter cuteness of it all. Daryl is developing a sweet side that's so damn sexy...**

**As always, thanks for the reviews and favorites. I really appreciate it and it keeps me motivated!**

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**Chapter 3 – Daryl's First Walker**

Sarah was truly baffled by just how many vehicles followed her and the Dixon brothers to the isolated "camp ground" that Daryl had led them to. It looked like a proverbial conga line as Sarah jumped from her jeep to scan the immediate area.

Ahead of her jeep, Daryl and Merle emerged from the pickup truck, flash lights in hand, and began to scout the area for any of the "walking dead". Behind her, she saw Shane, Lori and Carl emerge from Shane's jeep. Carl, being the curious 11 year old that he was, tried to take his own patrol of the grounds before Lori hooked her index finger under the collar of his t-shirt, shaking her head no when he looked back at her with annoyance. As other vehicle doors began to slam shut, Shane took it upon himself to corral the large group.

It was pitch black beyond the illuminating glow of headlights making it difficult to see all the faces that began to exit their vehicles, so Shane projected his voice as best he could to reach the countless faces in the dark.

"Everyone, please listen up!" he started. "It's late and extremely dark, so I recommend we all hunker down in our vehicles until morning. Once we can see our surroundings we can set up camp and come up with a plan."

There was a grumble of agreement that arose from the crowd and Sarah could see the dark shapes of bodies began to return to their vehicles for the night.

On the way to her jeep, Sarah saw a flash in the distance and focused her eyes towards the beams. A moment later, Daryl and Merle re-emerged from the darkness towards the truck.

"All clear" Merle said, giving her a wink.

"Thanks for taking a look around" Sarah responded turning towards Daryl who came to stand next to Merle's right. It was then she noticed the huge crossbow that was slung across his shoulder.

"Nice bow" she said nodding her head towards Daryl. "Good idea, considering they seem to be attracted to loud noises." No clarification of who "they" were was necessary.

Daryl gave a grunt in reply, shifting his eyes towards the ground before slinging the bow from his shoulder and placing it gently in the bed of his truck.

"Where is everyone?" he asked after hoisting himself to sit on the open tailgate of the truck.

Sarah was a bit taken aback. He'd been so quiet and seemingly annoyed since they met that his question seemed out of character. She shook her head slightly before answering. "Shane decided it was probably best that everyone sleeps in the vehicles tonight and set up camp in the morning. Seems like a good idea considering it's darker than a well digger's asshole out here."

Merle let out a low chuckle at her off color remark, rubbing the pad of his injured thumb across his lips as he leered at her.

"I don't know what kinda camp he's expecting to set up here. Most of those idiots probably don't have the good sense to pack any kinda camping gear" Daryl said while chewing on the skin around his thumbnail.

"You're probably right" Sarah said with a sigh, pulling the end of her braid over her shoulder to play with the loose hair at the end. "Everyone thought they'd be in a refugee center by now. I have a couple of tents in my jeep that I threw in before leaving, a few blankets and the rest of my camping gear, but…" She trailed off into her thoughts, twirling her hair.

"A couple of tents ain't gonna cut it" Daryl spat, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yeah, I only brought that stuff on a whim…force of habit. I guess we can figure something out in the morning."

"Ain't no _we" _Daryl said before hopping down from the tailgate and heading towards the cab of the truck. "Just 'cause those idiots followed us here don't mean we have to help them. They can figure their own shit out" he finished while slipping into the driver's seat. To accentuate his point, he slammed the door, disappearing into the darkness of the cab.

Sarah shifted her body to face Merle, who was still leering at her (as usual) from under his brow. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, before heading towards the opposite end of the cab. "Good night, sugar. I'll see your sweet ass in the morning."

Sarah smiled to herself and made her way toward her jeep.

* * *

Daryl growled under his breath and turned to look at Merle who was snoring loudly in the opposite end of the cab. It had been at least two hours since he retreated from his brief conversation with Sarah and he hadn't been able to quiet his mind long enough to drift off to sleep. Merle's snoring also didn't help nor the stifling heat, for that matter.

Every time he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind it would betray him and jump to the memory of the grey skinned tramp, that lived in the trailer across from him and Merle, lunging towards him with her cigarette stained teeth bared and an inhuman grown ripping from her throat. He had heard the ridiculous rumors that the dead began to walk, but didn't even consider it a valid option for the current national panic until she was frantically trying to rip his throat out. She had obviously sustained major injuries, as her stomach was completely ripped open and she was literally tripping over her dangling lower intestine as she tried to get to Daryl. One of her ankles also appeared to be broken and she was hobbling on it, twisted in an unnatural angle. There was no way any normal person could tolerate that amount of pain and still walk. Hell, she shouldn't have even been alive with the way her stomach was spilling its contents all over his living room floor.

He had yelled for Merle, but he was passed out in the back bedroom from the drug and alcohol binder the night before. Luckily, Daryl was quick on his feet and was able to hop over the back of the couch, dart into the kitchen and grab a steak knife from the bottom of the sink. The woman who he knew as Trish (before she became a rabid lunatic) fell onto the place he had just occupied on the couch, teeth snapping, only a split second after he managed to escape. She pushed herself up and turned around, frantically trying to locate her meal. Seeing his opportunity, Daryl ran around her and thrust the knife into her chest. He felt the serrated blade scrape between her ribs before he felt it slide into the soft muscle of her heart. He violently twisted the knife in a 90 degree angle before ripping it out of the now gaping hole in her chest. She stumbled back a step while glancing at the area where the knife had been seconds before, then rolled her head back up and continued her attack.

"What the fuck!?" Daryl screamed, unable to comprehend what was happening. He had just stabbed that cunting bitch in the fucking heart and she didn't even flinch. That was the moment he realized that the rumors were true; it really was the end of the fucking world.

As Trish reached out her bony, bloody hands, clutching at the front of his flannel shirt, he let out a guttural scream and rammed the steak knife through her left eye with as much force as he could muster. As her eyeball exploded with a wet pop, he pulled the knife out and watched as she finally fell to the floor, unmoving.

His heart was beating rapidly and his breathing was labored and ragged as he stared down at the mutilated body before him. The entire attach took less than three minutes, but felt like an eternity as Daryl replayed it in his mind. Once he had gained control of his body, he violently raised Merle from his coma like slumber and began throwing all the supplies and weapons he could find into the back of his truck. When Merle slurred that they take his bike or he wasn't leaving, Daryl cursed him, but rolled the heavy motorcycle into the truck bed, despite himself. An hour later, they were stuck in traffic on the interstate. He knew he shouldn't have taken the main roads, but he had panicked and now he was "sleeping" in his truck and stuck babysitting God only knew how many strangers he couldn't give two shits about. All things considered, it wasn't surprising. Nothing was ever easy for Daryl, so why should the end of the world be any different?

* * *

Finally deciding that attempting sleep was a futile effort, Daryl swung open the driver's side door of the truck and stepped out into the humid night. He stretched his arms over his head, trying to work out the kinks in his stiff shoulders and back. As he was lowering his arms he immediately tensed when he heard a twig snap from somewhere in the darkness towards his left on the opposite side of the truck. His body went on autopilot, assuming the posture and movements of a hunter, as he crouched low to the ground and began creeping silently towards the bed of the truck to retrieve his crossbow. As he was lifted the bow, he heard another snap from further left and realized something was on the move.

He positioned the bow and squinted through the scope as the continued his silent pursuit of his prey. The night vision scope afforded him the luxury of sight that this prey didn't have and he easily spotted his target sitting about 15 yards from the cluster of vehicles with her back against a large pine tree staring blankly into the woods. Daryl halted all movements and assumed a practiced motionless stance as he observed.

Sarah raked her fingers thought her wavy hair, which was now loose from its earlier braid, and then began to twirl a section between her fingers. After a moment, she sighed and began to stand, keeping her left hand resting against the trunk of the pine to steady and orient herself in the all-consuming darkness. Daryl frowned, wondering how she had managed to navigate in the dark before hearing the jingle of keys and noticing a small pin light attached to the ring. Deciding that he'd rather not be caught staring at her through the scope of his crossbow like a creeper he whistled to catch her attention. A split second later he saw her turn and heard the unmistakable click of metal as she released the safety on her 9mm and cocked it, pointing the business end of the deadly weapon directly at his face before snapping the small pin light on with her other hand to catch a glimpse of her assailant.

"Jesus Christ, Daryl!" she whispered harshly when she realized it was him. "I almost shot you in the fucking face!"

"What the hell you doin' out here in the dark by yourself?" he whispered in return, lowering the crossbow and squinting as the glow from the pin light shone in his eyes. "And where the hell you get that gun?"

As her heart rate calmed, Sarah lowered her weapon and clicked the safety back in place before tucking it into a holster that was placed towards the back of her right hip.

"I bought it, you idiot" she replied, raking her fingers through her hair again. "You really think I'd be walking around out here without protection? And this isn't the only gun I own, just so we're clear." She lowered the pin light, giving him an accusing glare.

Daryl took a split second to let his eyes roam over the length of her body, noticing that she had deserted the green colored plaid button down from earlier leaving her in just the white tank top underneath. He took notice of the small muscles in her biceps and suddenly remembered her saying she'd been in the military. His gaze traveled to where he'd witnessed her holster the 9mm and noticed a sheath on the other side of her hips which contained a very large combat knife.

"I couldn't sleep" she said suddenly, answering his initial question. "What about you?"

"Same" he answered, slinging the crossbow over his shoulder and lowering his gaze to the ground again, not wanting to be caught checking her out. "Then I heard you stomping around out here. Thought you might be a walker." He put a little extra bite in that last statement to project his annoyance with her.

"Walker?" she asked, trying the phrase on for size. "I like it, Dixon. Hell of a lot better than zombie" she said with a smile.

Daryl looked up just in time to see her smiling face in the soft glow of the pin light and mentally cursed himself when he felt that familiar flutter in the pit of his stomach. _"God damn it, Daryl"_ he thought. _"Now's not the time for this bullshit!" _

He found himself shifting nervously from foot to foot under her gaze.

"We should get back" he said while nodding his head towards the direction of the vehicles. He was anxious to get away from her and began walking away, slinging his crossbow back so that he could look through the night vision scope. He jerked when he suddenly felt Sarah place her hand on his naked upper arm, stopping him. Her palm was a bit cool against his hot skin and he felt the slight pressure of her nails as she squeezed his bicep very lightly to get his attention. His mind, betraying him once again, flashed to a hurried scene of him whipping around, grabbing her by the back of her neck and crushing his lips to hers. As soon as it was there, it was going. _"Shit!"_ he mentally chided himself again.

"Let me lead the way" he heard her say before she stepped around and in front of him, shining the small beam from the pin light on the ground in front of them. As they made their way back to the cluster of vehicles, Daryl forced himself to fix his eyes on the back of her head instead of the sway of her hips as she walked.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think! I really appreciate your feedback.**

_**~MLM**_


	4. 4 - Target Practice

**Wow...Sunday's episode was so great! I loved learning more of Daryl's story and of course Norman looked super hot (as usual).  
**

**Thank you again to all the people who took the time to review: _Leyshla Gisel, punkrockpancake, LittleRin26 and Sparkly Blue Eyes_**

**Reviews are like food for my muse, so please feed it often!  
**

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Target Practice **

Still unable to sleep once she had returned to her jeep, Sarah spent the remainder of the night going over her encounter with Daryl Dixon in the dark wilderness. She completely understood why he had come to investigate the noises she was making, but what she didn't understand was why he seemed so jumpy around her. When she'd casually touched his arm to get his attention, she could almost feel every muscle in his body tense up like he was expecting her to tackle him to the ground. And, his subtle way of checking her out, by flicking his eyes very quickly over her form and then lowering his gaze to the ground, was not lost on her, but it was a bit of a surprise. Most of the men she encountered in her life were not subtle about their admiration of her. Quite to the contrary, they were usually very outspoken and lewd. Take Merle, for example; a classic case of the kind of flirting she was used to. Why should Daryl be any different? He fit the stereotype of a loud mouth redneck, but he was anything but. A redneck, sure, but definitely not a loud mouth, as she could probably count the number of sentences he'd said the entire day on one hand. Yes, Daryl Dixon was shaping up to be quite the mystery man.

She rolled her eyes at herself while running her fingers through her long, wavy hair. It was just like her to start to develop some school girl crush during this shit storm they were all facing. She didn't know a thing about him, but the image of his face squinting at her while she shined the pin light in his eyes kept invading her thoughts. He mostly likely didn't realize it, but she had made her own visual assessment of him, as well. She noticed right away, when they first met on the interstate, that he was ruggedly good looking, even with that seemingly permanent scowl on his face. Not to mention those piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right through her. And, those chiseled arms of his didn't escape her observation either. How could they? And there was something about the way he walked that had her eyes following him as he sauntered back towards his truck. Yep, he was hot. No doubt about it. And, he was just the type of guy that Sarah had always fallen for, but had desperately tried not to. She sighed as she looked in her rearview mirror, noticing that the sun was starting to rise over the hills in the east. A moment later she saw Shane exit his vehicle, stretching his arms to the sky. _"Looks like it's time to gather the troops"_ she thought to herself before opening the passenger side door of her jeep.

* * *

The camp was literally buzzing with activity as each person went about setting up their respective "homes" in the vast area. Sarah was impressed by just how spacious the area was and in the light of day, she could tell that they were isolated enough to have some semblance of safety, at least for a little while. Sarah's favorite part about this particular spot though, was the huge rock quarry that was only about 50 yards away from the main camp site. Not only was it a beautiful scenic spot to relax, but it would provide plenty of essential water. Really, Sarah doubted there could be a more perfect place for their rag tag group of refugees.

Sarah busied herself around camp, introducing herself to each new face she encountered and helping those who actually had camping gear set up a space of their own. It became apparent, though, that most people were ill equipped to battle the elements, having only their vehicles and a few personal possessions. She scratched her itching scalp (she needed to wash her hair, badly) before swooping it up into a low ponytail as she made her way towards the Korean man she'd met earlier that morning named Glenn. When she reached Glenn, he was standing next to the Dale's RV chatting with him and the blond sisters, Andrea and Amy. Dale looked up towards her as she approached and gave her a smile before alerting the others to her presence.

"Good morning, Sarah" Dale said, tipping the rim of his bucket hat towards her. "It is Sarah, right? I'm terrible with names and I've had so many to try to learn this morning."

"You got it" Sarah answered giving him her best smile. Glenn turned to her then, giving a small, nervous smile of his own.

"Glenn?" she asked, pointing her index finger at him.

"Yep" he answered, shifting his eyes from side to side as if deliberately trying not to make eye contact with her.

"I think I recall you saying that you were a pizza delivery guy before the proverbial shit hit the fan. Am I right?"

"Yeah" he said hesitantly, furrowing his brow.

"So, I'm guessing you know the city pretty well then."

He nodded at her in response.

"Well then, how about you and I head into the city on a little supply run. We need to gather more camping supplies like tents, sleeping bags, pots and pans, stuff like that. Not to mention, lots of food." She waved her arm in an arching motion towards the rest of their group that were devoid of supplies.

Glenn opened his mouth to answer, but before he could utter a word Shane was suddenly standing beside him with his hands on his hips and a disapproving look in his eye.

"I don't think that's such a good idea" Shane began. "If anyone goes into the city, it should be someone who knows how to handle a gun; someone with experience in dangerous situations."

Sarah almost laughed before thinking better of it. Shane obviously didn't realize she was more than capable of taking care of herself and had plenty of experience in "dangerous situations", but she wasn't surprised. This wasn't the first time someone had underestimated her based on her appearance.

"In case you forgot" she started, trying to contain the sarcasm in her voice, "I mentioned last night that I'm former military. I spent 6 years in the dessert; 4 in Afghanistan and 2 in Iraq, so I think it's safe to say that I have the kind of experience you're speaking of".

A small crowd had gathered around them while Sarah was speaking and Shane glanced around at the spectators as he ran his hand through his thick chestnut hair and then down to rub at the back of his neck. His face was lightly flushed in embarrassment when he said "I'm sorry, ma'am. I suppose I did forget."

"Ma'am? Sarah is fine" she said before Glenn cautiously raised his hand beside Shane to get their attention.

"I _do_ know the city pretty well and I think we could get in and out pretty quickly with just the two of us" he said shifting his eyes from Sarah to Shane.

"Alright" Sarah said. "Anyone have a map we could borrow?"

* * *

An hour later, Sarah and Glenn had their route and plan of action in place as they both studied the worn map that Dale had given them, on the hood of her jeep. Sarah stood up straight placing her hands on her lower back, pushing slightly to work out the kinks. "You know how to shoot a gun, Glenn?" she asked as he did the same.

"Not really" he answered, giving her a small smile before removing his baseball cap and running it across is sweaty forehead. "Actually, no. I've never shot a gun in my life."

"Ok, then first thing's first. I need to give you some basic tips so that you aren't flying by the seat of you pants out there. I can cover you, but you are going to need to be able to defend yourself if and when the time comes."

He gave a nervous laugh that turned into a squeak when Sarah grabbed his arm and began leading him towards the tree line at the edge of camp. "I'm not going to bite, Glenn" she said as she pulled him along.

"What if he wants you to?" Merle bellowed as they passed the area near the Dixon brother's tent causing Glenn's face to flush. Sarah gave Merle a fix gaze as they passed, flipping him the bird. Merle roared with laughter, clapping his hands before pointing his index finger at her indicating he wasn't too offended with her retort. "Anytime, sugar tits!" he hollered after her as they disappeared into the trees.

* * *

Daryl watched the exchange between Merle and Sarah with hidden interest as he leaned against a pine tree near his tent, smoking one of his last cigarettes. Merle was one of the most foul mouthed people he'd ever known (besides his own father), especially when it came to flirting with woman, but Sarah didn't seem to bat an eye. On the contrary, she seemed to take it in stride and even seemed to get some kind of entertainment from it. Unlike most other women who would call him a dick and storm away while crying to her friends about how the dirty redneck insulted her.

When Daryl saw Sarah and Glenn disappear into the tree line, he watched as Merle rose from his seat on a nearby stump and starting making his way towards their tent. "I'm gonna get some damn sleep" he said before unzipping the flap and making his way inside. A second later Daryl heard Merle rustling through his bags. _"Sleep, my ass"_ Daryl thought as he watched Merle's shadow take a small baggie and a mirror from his backpack.

"Mom, where are they going?" Daryl heard the young boy named Carl say to his mother.

"I think they are going into the woods so that Sarah can teach Glenn how to use a gun" Lori answered while placing her hand on the top of his head.

"Cool! Can I go and watch?" Carl asked with excitement bubbling in his voice.

"No way" Shane said, as he approached Lori and Carl. Lori shot him a look that seemed to ask if he thought it was a good idea before he continued. "They are having target practice so that Glenn will be able to protect himself while they are in the city. Glenn has never shot a gun and I don't want you running out there spooking him or he's liable to misfire and get someone hurt."

"Fine" Carl said while kicking the dirt at his feet.

"Why don't you go play with Sophia" Lori suggested, pointing over to the young girl as she helped her mother Carol and her father Ed set up their tent and supplies. Carol looked up at the mention of Sophia's name and nodded her head and smiled in agreement while waving Sophia off in Carl's direction.

Everyone started when the first gunshot was fired. "It's just Sarah and Glenn practicing in the woods!" Dale called from the top of the RV, binoculars to his eyes as he surveyed the forest. "Everyone keep calm. I have my eyes open and will let you know if something is coming."

Everyone seemed to relax and began going about their business, but Daryl was on edge. He took another look at his tent and noticed that Merle was lying down on his back, probably knocked out from his high. Satisfied that Merle wasn't going to be a distraction, Daryl grabbed his crossbow and headed off in the direction where Sarah and Glenn disappeared into the woods.

When he reached them, he immediately noticed that Glenn looked like he was about to barf all over his converse shoes as he watched Sarah pop off another shot into the trunk of a nearby tree. Daryl situated himself a few yards away as he observed them.

"You wanna try now?" she asked, turning her upper half around to look at Glenn.

"Sure" Glenn answered. He stepped up to her and held out his shaking hand for the 9mm that Sarah was holding out to him.

"The first thing you always have to remember is that the safety should be on at all times. You only switch it off when you're 100 percent ready to take a shot, understand?" He nodded his head.

"And, don't be so nervous" she said while placing the gun into the palm of his hand. She then moved herself around him so that she was standing directly behind him. "Now, raise the gun to eye level and point it directly at your target. I only want you to hit the tree, that's it."

As he raised the gun Sarah grabbed his forearms from behind steadying his aim as she placed her right foot between his legs, kicking his feet apart. "Your stance needs to be a bit wider. There will always be some kind of kick back, no matter what kind of gun you're using, so you need to make sure you can keep your balance. Keeping your feet in line with your hips is always a good rule of thumb. You also need to keep your back straight", she said while removing one hand from his forearm and pushing it between his shoulders, making him stand up straighter.

"Right" he breathed in answer as she released him and stepped back, giving him adequate space. Daryl narrowed his eyes as he watched Glenn practically bust a nut as the feel of Sarah's body flush against his back.

"Now, take a deep breath and release it when you squeeze the trigger."

Not ready just yet and tying to stall for time to calm himself down a bit, Glenn asked "How can you stand the way Merle talks to you? "

"I was in the military for 10 years, Glenn, and I spent the better part of those years in the dessert completely outnumbered by men. I guess you could say I'm used to it."

"Oh" Glenn answered, looking back at her.

"Now, quit stalling and shoot"

Glenn obeyed and when he let out his breath in a shaky sigh, he pulled the trigger. The shot went wide to the left and missed the tree by what seemed like a mile. Glenn sighed and turned around to face Sarah who had her arms crossed and a sweet smile on her face.

"No one gets it on the first try" she said. "Keep going."

Daryl watched as the Glenn shot off several more rounds before finally hitting his target. The smile that spread across his face was so goofy looking that Daryl could keep his silence no longer.

"You'd be dead ten times over by now" Daryl said as he emerged from the trees making both of them jump in surprise. When they realized it was only him, Glenn signed and ran his free hand over his face in relief.

"You gotta start somewhere" Sarah answered. Her arms were still crossed and she looked a bit annoyed at his presence. Daryl scoffed before stalking over to Glenn and snatching the 9mm from his loose grip. "He hit a tree and now you're ready to throw him into the geek infested streets?"

"The plan is for me to cover him while he gets in and out. I'm only giving him the basics, just in case."

"Whatever" Daryl answered, turning towards the tree and firing off three shots, each one hitting the trunk in the exact same spot. "Have fun out there" he said to Glenn before pushing past him on his way to Sarah who had her hand held out for her gun.

* * *

"_The fuck was that?"_ his mind screamed as he pushed his way out of the trees and back into the open ground of camp_. "Showing off…you were fucking showing off!"_

He stomped his way to his tent and began to unzip it before he remembered that Merle was still in there. Annoyed as all hell, he took a seat on the stump that Merle had occupied earlier and began cleaning his bow. Almost immediately after he sat down, Sarah and Glenn emerged from the trees and made their way past him as they approached Sarah's jeep. Daryl tried not to take notice as Sarah placed her hand on Glenn's shoulder giving him a smile before they gathered their supplies near the jeep and drove away.

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**Please review!**

**Much love, **

_**~MLM**_


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